Fantasy Football: Week 8 Bust Candidates

With Halloween around the corner, it’s fitting to mention some players that have given you nightmares this season. Players like Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, Devonta Freeman, Larry Fitzgerald, LeSean McCoy, and Rob Gronkowski have been more like Michael Myers putting a dagger in your side and your season than the contributors we hoped they would be. I’d stay away from these players this week to avoid any further nightmares come this weekend.

(All projections and rankings based off of ESPN PPR format)

Cam Newton

(QB Rank: 10 | Opponent: Bal)

The QB position is as deep as it’s ever been in fantasy football history. The days of matchup proof QBs are virtually gone (other than a few guys) because of the amount of viable options on the waiver wire each week. There were a lot of guys who could have been picked this week but for the sake of keeping it interesting I’m going to go with Newton, a guy who is usually started week in and week out.

Newton has been one of the most consistent options at the QB position this year utilizing his running skills to make up for only having one 300 yard passing game thus far. He gets his toughest test of the season this week against a Ravens defense that ranks #2 against the pass and #7 against the run. If it weren’t for a 4th quarter, 3 touchdown performance against the Eagles last week we would be talking about potential back to back weeks that Newton disappoints. Regardless, I think that his luck finally runs out this week in what could be a low scoring game.

Kerryon Johnson

(RB Rank: 14 | Opponent: Sea)

The breakout game for Kerryon Johnson finally happened last week as he piled up 158 yards on 19 carries and 21 yards on 2 receptions. He is now being targeted as one of the biggest trade targets because many believe he has taken over as the lead back in the Lions offense but a week 8 matchup against Seattle could bring him back down to reality. The funny thing is that it isn’t even the matchup thats the scary part; the scariest part is that Johnson iterated publicly that he believes he is most effective in a running back by committee. With Blount culturing touchdowns in the red zone, it’s going to be hard for Johnson to put up the numbers that he did last week. His season long value is still on the rise but at least for this week you should keep calm and Kerryon without him in your lineup this week.

Nick Chubb

(RB Rank: 14 | Opponent: @Pit)

The hype train for Chubb since Carlos Hyde got traded has been full steam ahead. A mere afterthought heading into the season, Chubb now is the lead back for a decent Cleveland offense who needs to establish the run to help out Baker Mayfield. After carrying the ball 18 times for 80 yards and 1 touchdown, that hype train surely didn’t slow down at all but could come to a screeching halt come Sunday against Pittsburg. The Steelers have quietly been impressive against the run ranking 11th in the league at only 97.8 yds/game. The Steelers have also been exceptional against running backs in the passing game giving up only 20.7 receiving yds/game (2nd best in the league). Chubb is a touchdown dependent play this week with a real chance to put up a stinker if he doesn’t.

Alshon Jeffery

(WR Rank: 18 | Opponent: @Jax)

Jeffery now has surpassed 7 catches, 75 yards, and 1 touchdown in 3 of the 4 games since returning in week 4. He’s been a pleasant surprise ranking as the 7th best receiver over that span but now has a couple of difficult obstacles in his way. First off, the Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey is still one of the best young corners in the game who on any given day can shut down some of the best receivers in the game. The Eagles offense has only been a fraction of what it was last season having only scored over 23 points once all season.The fact that this game is being played in London is the icing on the cake as going across the pond normally doesn’t bond well when it comes to fantasy numbers. Alshon is being rated as high as a WR 2 due to his recent performances but I wouldn’t rank him any higher than WR 3 and expect him to have a lackluster performance.

Devin Funchess

(WR Rank: 28 | Opponent: Bal)

It may not seem like Funchess has done a lot this season but he’s actually had over 14 fantasy points in 4 of his 6 games played so far. He hasn’t been putting up monster numbers but he’s certainly been a contributor if you’ve been starting him. Unfortunately, I think that trend comes to an end in week 8 against a stout Baltimore defense. The Ravens rank 3rd in the league at only 31.4 fantasy pts/game given up to wide receivers and the return of Jimmy Smith who now has shaken off the rust more and more each week only bodes worse for Funchess. Other than one fluke game against the Bengals, the Ravens have given up more than 1 touchdown or 75 yards to a receiver and I expect their dominance to continue Sunday.